Performance Analysis

The 12V rail is very consistent, never deviating by more than one percent even at full load.

Efficiency isn’t bad, per se, but it is on the lower side relative to other Gold-rated units, so this isn’t the PSU’s strongest point, although it does climb up the charts when loads are lower, which is good news for those who idle their PCs for prolonged periods.

Ripple values, on the other hand, are excellent. With sub-20mV peak-to-peak at full load, the Toughpower Grand RGB Gold (RGB Sync Edition) 850W can’t be faulted here.

The 140mm fan is pretty quiet when on, even at high loads. We certainly didn’t find it to be intrusive or problematic.

Conclusion

The RGB lighting here clearly comes at a cost, as the £115 price tag is expensive relative to other 80 Plus Gold 850W units with fully modular cabling (the non-RGB version of this very PSU is now £95). If RGB is your thing, the ability to synchronise this power supply with pretty much any motherboard will of course be a plus, and while the lighting could be a bit brighter, we can’t see it disappointing people who actually do want an RGB PSU for some reason, as it’s well implemented here.

Since the PSU holds up well everywhere else – decent electrical performance with above average ripple values, a fairly quiet fan, and a great set of cables – this makes the purchasing decision pretty easy. If the RGB lighting works for you, the Recommended badge here is also for you. If not, look elsewhere. Simples.